Strawberry, Lime and Grades
by aoi-himesama
Summary: Zero is an ex-human university student, slowly descending to a Level E and hating every moment of it. He is at the verge of committing suicide when a certain group of vampires intercede. KxZ Aidou H.xZ and ZxAidou H.
1. Chapter 1: Nightmare

_Summary: Zero is an ex-human university student, slowly descending to a Level E and hating every moment of it. He is at the verge of committing suicide when a certain group of vampires intercede._

_Rating: T_

_A/N: This fic is a bit AU from the original VK and some of the characters are OOC. Also, the some of their past have been modified to my liking. The Kuran Family was never attacked/betrayed by Rido and Yuuki was brought up as the pureblood princess she is supposed to be. Her and Kaname's parents are alive, thus implicating that they were both sheltered and Kaname was not as ruthless as he would be if they died. Zero's past is still somewhat intact and he still went to live with Kaien. And this is not the same Cross Academy. Instead, it is Cross University and they're all a bit older than the original VK. I also added a personal character(Seiren's younger brother, Kiru) since Yuuki should also have the same privileges and security as Kaname._

_Oh. and I don't own VK. XD_

* * *

**Chapter 1: Nightmare**

* * *

The silver-haired boy tossed and turned in his sleep, sweat-drenched brows knitted and occasional moans escape his trembling lips. He was trapped in the nightmare. Again.

"NO!" He bolted upright, head swimming for a few seconds before realizing what happened. He had been reliving the same scene ever since _that night _in a form of a nightmare.

He ran his slightly trembling hand through his damp hair and leaned on the headboard of his over-sized single bed. The amethyst eyes scanned the dorm room, gaze settling unconsciously on the glass of water and a small metal box containing white tablets placed on his study table. His left hand traveled to clutch his throat, trying to suppress its hurtful throbbing.

Looking at the glass, he recognized the familiar red glint in his eyes reflected faintly. Shock was replaced by anger and hatred as he squeezed his eyes shut, hiding the obvious evidence of his vampire nature.

His ragged breathing became rushed pants and his eyes snapped open when he realized he couldn't breathe. His right hand traveled to his neck and he realized with a start the _he_ was choking _himself_. GREAT. He chuckled grimly to himself, blaming the dream for his actions, as he waited for his breathing to return to normal.

Zero Kiriyu got up with a sigh and headed for the bathroom at the other side of his room knowing well that he wasn't going to get any more sleep even if it was only 2 in the morning. He would have to chase his thoughts with another morning jog.

* * *

On another side of the campus, a brown-haired vampire let out a sigh as he leafed through the profile of the students he would have to teach that afternoon. He normally doesn't teach at that hour but it was an advanced class and there were no other teacher capable of handling it. Besides, it was also a class of his younger sister and the former teacher, who was an acquaintance, asked him as a favor.

"Ugh. Onii-sama, you've already let out a year's worth of sighs. Do you really detest teaching me?" Yuuki Kuran pouted at her older brother while munching on a Strawberry cream coated biscuit stick.

The older pureblood regarded his sister with an amused smile. "No, dear one. It is the TIME that I detest. Why did you even take such a class at such an ungodly hour?" He shook his head.

He really didn't need to ask, he understood Yuuki's love for the sun and human history but it doesn't mean that he approves of it. Human history held no interest to him as he had been a witness to most of them and the books that they were obligated to study when they were young contained much more information than those of the human books.

As for the sun, well, vampires don't really combust when exposed to it but their skin is extremely sensitive and could easily get irritated and sun-burnt. Being born of the purest vampire blood, their skin is far more sensitive than those of the nobles and of lower blood.

Yuuki rolled her eyes at Kaname and munched another Strawberry flavored treat. She did not like being questioned for the things that she like, however odd they may be. She only tolerated them nicely enough when the scrutiny came from well-established vampires and other purebloods, for politeness' sake but she could never accept it if it came from her brother and their, no, _his_ circle of friends.

Especially if it came from Aidou. She gritted her teeth at the memory. Hanabusa Aidou was one of the _loyal_ Kaname-sama followers and he was her least close "friend". They often bickered about non-sense things and he always teased her every chance he got(when _Kanama-sama_ was not around). It wasn't really overly annoying. In fact, she was a bit grateful that someone doesn't treat her like the 'princess' she was. It was just entirely the way Hanabusa is, IRRITATING.

Kaname sensed the irritation rolling off of Yuuki's aura and he wondered if he overdid his teasing. He was about to apologize when the porcelain vase at the corner of his room near where Yuuki was sitting broke into a million pieces, pulling Yuuki back to reality.

_Crap_."Oh my gosh. Did I do that? I'm _so_ sorry! I can order for a replacement. Where did you bu—"

Kaname was amused despite himself. It was amazing what things Yuuki can do without even putting an effort. But he must admit that losing control of your powers like that could become troublesome, especially for purebloods like themselves. He briefly recalled some of Yuuki's childhood tantrums and shook his head.

"Nevermind Yuuki. It was just some piece of china." Kaname knew it wasn't _just some piece of china_, it was actually a gift of Akatsuki's mother, but Yuuki didn't have to know that. "Please be mindful of where and when you get out of control, though. I don't want having to deal with erasing memories."

Yuuki stuck her tongue out to her older brother at his last comment. "YOU don't deal with erasing memories, brother. _Seiren and Kiru_ does!" She didn't miss the grimace Kaname gave when she mentioned Seiren's younger brother.

That struck a protective chord in Yuuki. She and Kiru had been childhood friends and they had a more tangible friendship unlike Kaname and Seiren's master-bodyguard relationship. Kiru was a year younger than her and she adored him very much since she doesn't have a younger brother.

"What do you have against _my_ bodyguard?" She snapped making Kaname sigh. Sometimes he thinks Yuuki was the bodyguard and Kiru was the master. Not that he'd mention it, of course, as it would be an insult to a very strong and long line of praetorians dedicated to the sole purpose of guarding the Kurans.

"I simply think that he is much too young to be your bodyguard, dear one. Yuuki, do you know this boy?" He handed the profile to his sister partly because he didn't like the turn of the conversation and partly because, if he was not mistaken, the silver-haired boy was the sole survivor of the prestigious hunter clan that a fellow pureblood had mercilessly murdered.

Yuuki got the paper and eyed it curiously. Why was her brother asking her? She looked at the 2x2 picture of the owner and paled at seeing the familiar pair of amethyst eyes and silver hair of her 'friend'. CRAP.


	2. Chapter 2: Facts, Biscuits and Coffee

**_A/N:_**_ Early post since I'm tweaking it over and over and I think i might ruin it. Thanks for the review guys! I'm really surprised to see that there would be people actually reading this. lol I think the bit about Yuuki's preference is a sudden but I want her out of the picture already. XD So there, enjoy. :D_

* * *

Chapter 2: Facts, Biscuits and Coffee

* * *

Zero Kiriyu is one of the brightest in their class and he would definitely be one of the cutest guys for her, if only she was into them. Ten years of social mingling with other vampires throwing every boy they knew to her feet was enough to extinguish her taste for the opposite sex. Not to mention the other older and, for crying out loud, _married_ ones that gave her their sole attention and lots of gifts. She shook her head as if to erase the memory thankful that her brother and parents had never allowed anything go beyond that.

Kaname's case was not like that. All vampire girls at the party, in a relationship or not, gladly flirts with him. And their parents, knowing Kaname was old enough to take care of himself, allowed him to take care for the girls in any way he wants.

Anyway, Zero and Yuuki's friendship was not the kind that blossomed immediately after being introduced. In fact, it was Yuuki who approached the anti-social hunter and it had taken a lot of her effort before the silver-haired wonder actually acknowledged her and stopped giving her his infamous glare. But that wasn't what made her have that reaction.

She knew of the boy's background and that didn't just make it harder for her to approach him, it also made it more dangerous. She knew he was a hunter and that was why she had to mask her presence constantly at school. She also had to talk to every vampire in her classes with Zero to not treat her formally, not even call her with honorifics, thankful that they were few because vampires rarely took classes when the sun was still up.

Her friendship with Zero was important to her since she had not really seen him with other people and it calls to her care-taker nature. She could sense the anguish and hatred he felt every time some vampire crosses his path. Of course, not everyone knows that he was an ex-human so they easily mistook his hostility as a normal thing for hunters.

She knew Kaname is well informed of Zero's past and that means he would not approve of the 'friendship' they have. She knew her brother was a bit overly protective and this situation calls to that side of him.

"You _know_ him, don't you?" Kaname said quietly, perfectly masking the threat in his voice as he studied his sister.

"Um…" Crap. The perfectly normal voice his brother was sporting was bugging her as it definitely means he's angry. She failed miserably when she tried not to fidget, aware that it would give away what she knew and Kaname's patient silence wasn't helping. She slowly fixed her garnet eyes to face her brother's same colored ones, pleading clearly etched in her features. She knew this would be added to the now growing list of reasons for him to forcibly pull her out of the class.

Kaname's eyes narrowed at his sister's lost puppy look. There was definitely something going on. "How much do you know about him?" He continued with the same quietly deceptive voice. He really didn't need to ask. The way Yuuki was acting was a dead giveaway but he wanted her to be the one to tell him. "I'm going to be your teacher, imouto." He pointed out when Yuuki didn't answer. For an eighteen-year-old, she could be extremely childish. Sometimes, it could be endearing but most of the time, a hell of a lot annoying.

Yuuki sighed in defeat. She really has no choice, has she? "Well, I soooort of know his past. About the attack and the Madly Blooming Princess' connection…" She trailed off and looked at her brother, flinching at the dangerous aura he was giving. She instinctively put a bubble of safety around her to shield herself from the sudden drop of temperature due to Kaname's aura.

"There's a _hunter_ in your class and you still continue having it?" He almost spit the H-word.

* * *

Zero got out of the bathroom after a few minutes of cold shower to keep his thoughts at bay. Now that his head seems clear, he decided against the jog and made his way to the 24-hour convenience store instead to get coffee. He could've gone to the campus cafeteria, which was nearer, but he doubted his self-control, especially since he was just fresh from the nightmare and the place would now be swarming with blood-suckers. Typical for Cross University.

He gritted his teeth and his hand automatically gripped the anti-vampire gun hidden in the inside pocket of his black coat. The headmaster was a family friend and a former hunter too so Zero couldn't get why he was pro-coexistence. What did the guy see in those damn bloodsuckers that made him think that living amongst them could be possible?

He sighed and ran a hand through his damp silver hair. Getting ill-tempered like this over something he'd tried to live with for so long was not good. It was especially unfair to Kaien Cross who had been kind enough to offer him shelter when he had nowhere else to go.

He was at the front of the convenience store when his hunter senses tingled, alerting him of a vampire presence inside. Using his unnaturally sharp hearing, he listened in to see if there was no trouble and if it was safe. The aristocratic vampires in the campus rarely visited this store since they had everything they needed at the cafeteria and that made him on edge.

"Are you sure, young man? These are a lot." The store manager asked the blonde haired 'boy' incredulously, doubting that he could pay for two large boxes of Chocolate Pocky sticks containing twenty five packs each. It's true that the treat was popular but it was a bit expensive and the boy looked like he was too young to be carrying that much money with him.

Hanabusa Aidou snorted and resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the old human before him. The guy obviously thought he was too young to have that much money. It wasn't really insulting since that meant he looked much younger than the eighteen years he is. But being baby-faced had its disadvantages.

He was a bit cranky from having thoroughly depleted his stash of his favorite treat and he had to go all the way to this stupid human store since there were no chocolate coated biscuit sticks for sale at the campus cafeteria. To silence the old man, he fished his wallet from the back pocket of his designer jeans and dumped a wad of bills in front of the man, pleased at the wide eyed look he got.

The money he had placed there was a bit more than enough to pay for fifty packs of the treat and that seemed to shut the owner up. Now his only problem would be to find a way to carry these two boxes without ruining his clothes and without looking unnaturally strong.

Outside the store, Zero realized that there was no threat. He slowly relaxed and proceeded inside not wanting to cross paths with the blonde but not wanting to look stupid by just standing outside.

He felt bad for the store owner since the guy probably didn't know that the 'boy' buying a horde of biscuit sticks is an aristocratic bloodsucker with a whole lot of money at his disposal. _Rich bastards_.

He strode over to the coffee dispenser to get his fill, taking his time well so he won't be able to be an inch close to the arrogant vampire.

Hanabusa was aware of the other person that just got inside the store but he paid him no mind other than noting how wonderfully nice he smelled. _Very nice choice of perfume, shower fresh, too. Hmmm._ He turned his attention away from the old human and gathered the boxes. He should have brought his cousin with him but Akatsuki was at a class he had with Ruka.

He hadn't taken the same classes as them since his knowledge was way beyond what those seemingly advanced classes could offer but he was taking a few masters subjects on biotechnology and had taken the liberty to be of service to fellow vampires by taking some part-time teaching.

He didn't want to be enrolled at the particular university but once he got word that his _Kaname-sama_ was also a part-time teacher at Cross University, he practically raced to pack his bags.

Ruka had decided to go too since Kaname was there and decided on trying to pursue a degree on Foreign Languages to improve her 'knowledge' on old languages used to invoke vampire charms.

Aidou sighed at the thought, aware that his childhood friend doesn't need to take it up since she had memorized even the alphabet and the sentence construction of those languages, be it Latin, Greek or some other almost extinct ones. She just used it as an excuse to be there at the university. He balanced the boxes on one hand and started walking towards the exit.

Zero felt the other vampire start to leave and he went to pay at the cashier.

The blonde vampire snuck a peek at the wonderfully smelling guy before going out of the store. He got a glimpse of the familiar silver hair and his jaw dropped.

_Oh. My. Freaking. Gosh._


	3. Chapter 3: Attraction and Explanation

_A/N: Early post since I'm going to school for the week. -_- i won't have time to update till the weekend. Thanks for the review and favorites.*sends hearts to all* Enjoy._

* * *

**Chapter 3: Attractions and Explanations**

* * *

_Oh. My. Freaking. Gosh._

It was the fabled boy who constantly topped some of the advanced classes in Trigonometry, Physics and some sciences. And boy was he _cute_. Not cuter than him, of course, but enough to pique his interest. There was no trace of the usual nerdy or dork-ish look on him that top-of-the-class humans usually have. Aidou grinned despite himself and continued scrutinizing the other, letting his fashion designer mind wander.

The human looked good in the non-designer coat and faded slim jeans but a light color would be better at complimenting his silver hair. Aidou thought of a few pieces of clothes he had that would most definitely fit him and smiled. He gave him another once over and wondered what the black coat hid. Was he perfectly muscled? Aidou hoped so. He unconsciously cocked his hip to the right and put one hand on it, concentrating on imagining a few outfits to fit… He realized he didn't know the boy's name.

"Hey, you. What's your name?" He asked as the thought crossed him. He then realized belatedly how completely embarrassing that was and blood rushed to his cheeks all the way to his ear.

Zero was aware of the other vampire's stare and that irritated him to hell. What did the damn bloodsucker want with him? He tried his best to ignore the prickling feeling of being watched and approached the counter. He was about to pay when he heard the blonde aristocrat ask for his name. His eyebrows shot up in surprise as he turned to glare at the other vampire.

"_What_?" He asked, oblivious to the blush that crept on the other's face.

Hanabusa fidgeted for a few moments before finally realizing he wasn't supposed to act like the cat that ate the canary. _Damn this irresistibly cute whatever-his-name-is_. He returned the glare and made use of his 'teacher' position to cover for his morbid curiosity.

"I asked for your name, young man. I thought I know you from one of the classes I'm currently _teaching_." He emphasized the last word for added authority. His glared hardened at hearing the silver-haired boy snort.

'_Young man'? Psh. Yeah right. And a class he was _teaching? Zero thought to himself. He purposely ignored the blonde and paid for his coffee then strode over to the exit. He glared at the vampire pointedly when he didn't move away to let him leave. He gritted his teeth at smelling the sickly sweet scent the noble was giving off, an indication of his being.

"Let me through, _Professor_." He said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. The blonde looked even younger than him. Maybe by one or two years, since he was obviously staying at the university. He couldn't be sure with vampire years. He was vaguely aware that they aged far slower than humans.

Aidou refused to move away and straightened his posture, removing his right hand from his hip. "I was asking for your _name_. But I take you don't believe my claim as a teacher." He fished his wallet from his back pocket again and flashed the ID he had there. "Now that you seem to believe me, tell me your name and I would not report this to the headmaster."

Zero was surprised that the arrogant blonde was telling the truth. But he looked so young and the boxes of biscuit sticks at his right hand were an additional contradiction to his claim as a teacher. He didn't want to answer but he also didn't want Kaien to know how rudely he was treating one of his _precious_ vampires.

"What do you want it for, bloodsucker?" He hissed quietly not wanting the human cashier to overhear.

Aidou was half amused and half cautious at the boy's words. '_Bloodsucker_' he said, which means he was fairly knowledgeable about their kind and that he was most probably a hunter. It was stupid of him to not notice this at first but there were no other hunter inside the university aside from the headmaster and his… _Shoot_. The headmaster's 'son' of sorts. It must be him. There were no other possibilities.

"_You're_ the headmaster's _son?_" He asked, looking incredulously at the boy before him. He never pressed his nose to finding out about the university he was attending. The mere fact that Kaname-sama was there was enough for him. He should have taken his time to meet the Headmaster's son of sorts earlier and he could have gotten to meet this silver-haired wonder sooner.

"I'm not Cross' damn son!" It was true, biologically anyway. His parents were… He gritted his teeth and clamped up the unwanted thoughts and memories. He shoved _Professor Aidou_ out of the way and got out of the store. He wanted to run as fast as he could but that would give away his other nature.

Aidou almost forgot the boxes he was carrying and caught them on time. He didn't spare another glance at the surprised look on the store owner's face and followed the boy out.

* * *

Kaname felt Yuuki pull a protective bubble around her and he tried to relax despite the hostility he was feeling. They were purebloods and his sister was _friends_ with a _hunter_? He knew Yuuki was pro-coexistence and he, himself had supported the cause of their parents but not all approves of this and hunters were more vocal about their protests. The Hunter Association had taken care of them, of course, thinking that having even some of the more lucid vampires' help at exterminating the crazed ones were a bit more than useful. But this was not the case with Zero.

He was an ex-human born of hunter blood and that made him unacceptable to both races. Kaien had been kind enough to offer him shelter since he personally knew the Kiriyus and he felt Zero would have a vital role in the pacifist way, if only he would come to accept his nature.

Zero would definitely be the worst case possible. He had been turned and his family was mercilessly murdered by their own: a mad pureblood.

"Yuuki, I'm sorry." He waited for his sister to remove the protective bubble around her, as it was already not necessary, and look at him before continuing. "But do you know what you've gotten yourself into?"

Yuuki sighed and rolled her eyes. Of course she knew. She could act childishly sometimes but under that endearing façade lays a pureblood princess capable of thinking capacities way beyond the norm, as was natural for their race.

"Of course I do. I'm not as moronic as I normally act like. Yes, yes, I know that wasn't what you meant." She added the last dismissively when Kaname started to protest at her use of words.

Kaname waited patiently for his sister to continue her explanations.

"Onii-sama, I know you disprove of my friendship with a hunter. But we both know I'm capable of protecting myself. And have you even thought what could be going through Zero's mind every moment he continued to be here at the university? I've seen the look in his eyes when he looks at the other nobles. The Madly Blooming Princess' unfortunate slip in mentality had left his life in jeopardy. He resents being held by the limitations of his existence and lack of individuality he had while under the care of Headmaster Cross. And you know how I get when meeting people like that."

His sister was making sense, his mind began to dwell on the different kinds of trauma a vampire attack can embed into a young hunter's psychological maturity, but that doesn't erase the fact that it was still dangerous especially if Yuuki seemed quite attached to this certain hunter.

"Brother, I've something to offer. You're going to be my teacher later, right? Then you can see for yourself if I am in any imminent danger by being within the same room as him. But please, _please_, don't make him see that we are familiar with each other. It took a lot of unbelieving effort to gain his trust. I even constantly masked my presence."

Yuuki was giving him the look that always got him to consent her every wish and he sighed. "Three days, imouto. That's all I'm giving. You're friendship with him is to this extent, huh? I never thought you'd take an interest to the opposite sex again."

Yuuki beamed at her brother, allowing his teasing. "I'm not interested in him in that manner, you idiot. I've got Sayori."

Kaname chuckled, aware of his sister's preference. It was amazing the things socializing with power-loving vampires did to a pureblood. Having everyone throw themselves to your feet had taken its toll on him too. Hell, even he was losing his interest in girls, but he wasn't about to tell that to anyone.

"Alright, alright. Go off to your own dorm room and don't break anything more. Precious _Sayori_ might notice your absence and you've got classes early. I've got one last class to teach then I'm off myself. I could never tolerate your liking for the sun." He shook his head in staged disgust as he waved his sister out of his personal quarters.

Yuuki got up from her seat and called to Kiru. She beamed at him when he suddenly appeared at the doorway giving both purebloods a deep bow of respect. The boy stepped out of his master's way and gave her a warm smile.

Kaname watched her sister go out and he closed the door without holding it. He got the hunter's profile in the same manner and studied it carefully.

_Zero Kiriyu_. Kaname looked pleased at seeing that there was not a drop in the grades written in the profile. Well, at least the object of his sister's attention had mind to study. He briefly wondered if the headmaster had pestered the boy to keep his grades up. No matter, he would find out more about the hunter later at class.

He got up from his comfortable swiveling chair and placed the stack of papers neatly on his desk. He called out to Seiren and asked her to get his things for the class he was about to teach in a few minutes.


	4. Chapter 4: I See Trouble, Icy Trouble

_A/N: Finally, a chance to put up another one. aaaand, its longer!*dances in joy* thanks for the reviews, alerts and favorites! i could all drown you with my appreciation . btw, my parings changed. it's now AidouxZero ZeroxAidou KanamexZero and it still won't be final.-_- my fault for being a bad writer and not finalizing the paring until now-_- so sorry my vampires are going out of control and they want to choose their pair-_-. Please wait a little more for Kaname and Zero interaction. There's still a lot of things I want Kaname to do. XD Enjoy! :D_

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 4: I See Trouble, Icy Trouble**

* * *

Zero ran as swiftly as he could without using his unnatural speed. He didn't want a damn bloodsucker to know what he is. Especially if that bloodsucker happen to be an arrogant teacher. He ran to the direction of his dorm to avoid the blonde.

Aidou quickly caught up with the boy not caring if he used his vampire speed. The boy knows enough about them anyway. "Wait, I was just asking, for cr—''

Zero's heart thudded as the arrogant blonde suddenly appeared to his side. He let his hunter senses get ahead of him, automatically pulling the Bloody Rose from his inside coat pocket and brought it face to face with the wide-eyed blonde.

"Get away from me, you _filthy_ monster." He growled, not caring for the consequences of injuring or even killing this teacher. Aidou was too close for comfort and Zero's self-restraint is far from normal because of the recent nightmare.

"Excuse me but I have just finished taking care of my personal hygiene not a few hours ago. And I'm fairly certain I have not come to encounter _anything_ that would make me filthy. We are essentially clean beings." Aidou said matter-of-factly, a bit insulted at the notion but he secretly sniffed at himself just to be sure.

What was the blonde talking about? "I'm _not_ talking about your _smell_, bloodsucker! Get away from me!" He shot a bullet an inch above the blonde's head.

Aidou forgot about the boxes he was carrying. He clamped his hands over his ears and ducked. _Well, that was unexpected_. "Hey! That was uncalled for!" He gritted his teeth and reflexively froze the hunter's feet to the ground and swatted the gun from its owner's hand with extreme swiftness.

"_Let me go_!" Zero bellowed. He couldn't move and he couldn't reach his gun. His heart skipped another beat as he sensed two other vampire presences. A stronger one. _Pureblood_. He was so dead.

* * *

Kaname was on his way to the Literature class he was supposed to teach when he heard a faint gun shot at the western part of the campus. Being one of the school authorities, he and Seiren went as fast as they could to the scene.

They arrived at the pathway leading to the boy's dorm in time to see the purple-ish glow of the hunter bullet fade away. He was a bit surprised at seeing Aidou with… He looked closer, unbelieving. Was that _Zero Kiriyu_? Encased in _Aidou's_ ice?

"Ka-Kaname-sama!" Aidou bowed at the pureblood ashamed at being caught with an object of his ogling.

"What is going on Aidou?" He asked in a slightly irritated tone. If it was Aidou, there had to be another petty excuse for what happened.

"I'm sorry to cause such a ruckus, Kaname-sama. I was just… Well, I was… Um.." He stammered. How could he tell his dear Kaname-sama that he was ogling over this boy not a few minutes ago and wanted to know his name? His face turned red.

Kaname felt impatient for the blonde's stammering and gestured to the silver-haired hunter, aware of his uncomfortable condition. "Release the boy first, Aidou and I will see you in my office after my class. I'm sorry for my subject's actions, Kiriyu-kun."

_But it wasn't my fault!_ "B-but…! O-of course, Kaname-sama." He started to protest but caught himself when Kaname raised his eyebrow at him, clearly not amused. He released the boy's feet from its icy confinement. Well at least he got to know the boy's surname.

Zero glared at the pureblood's interference. He could have taken care of it by himself. He went to get the gun that got thrown away and stuffed it in the inside pocket of his coat. He gave another glare at the blonde before turning back on the group and going back to his dorm room. He gritted his teeth when he saw Kaien walking towards them, a disapproving look on his face.

"Hello gentlemen, Seiren. What do we have here?" He gave the group a warm smile and nodded to them. "I see you have met my very _illusive_ son. Zero, where are you going?"

"Bed and I'm _not_ your son." He spit. He didn't want to be having this conversation with Cross with other vampires watching.

Kaname nodded to the man. "Headmaster, let me apologize for Aidou's actions. I will deal with it personally later."

"I see. Well then, thank you Kaname." He gave the pureblood a fond smile and turned to Zero who resumed his way towards the dorms. "I'll see you around." He said and followed Zero. "Zero!"

Zero didn't turn when he was called, intent on locking himself in his room. Damn it. He would have to find another way to spend the hours away.

* * *

Hanabusa was delighted for a minute. _Zero Kiriyu_. He finally knows the hunter's name. It doesn't matter that Zero had tried to shoot him with a hunter weapon. He would forgive him for that since he clearly wasn't comfortable being with vampires. That would have to change. He turned to Kaname, grin suddenly disappearing at meeting the pureblood's unsatisfied look. He looked down immediately.

"Aidou, explain later in my office." He said dismissively and went back towards the direction he came from.

Aidou bowed once again as he was left alone in the path way. He ran a hand through his hair and froze. He was supposed to be holding something. "My Pocky!" He exclaimed and picked the two boxes up. He almost lost his favorite treat. He straightened himself and checked to see if there was anything amiss in his clothes. Finding none, he started his way toward the library and fished his cell from his pocket and sent a message to his cousin telling him where he would be and to come there immediately after their class.

Hanabusa smiled at every vampire girl that crossed his path on the way to the library enjoying their giggling. He was a bit relieved that the human girls were well on their way to dreamland at this time, meaning less screaming and more peace. He sat at a table on the far end of the library near the large windows waiting for his cousin. He placed the boxes of Pocky on his lap protectively, incase Rima, Takuma or Shiki might come along. He got one pack out and munched on it while he waited.

* * *

"Ruka, Hanabusa is waiting at the library." Akatsuki mentioned as he gathered their things.

Ruka fixed her hair and as she waited for her friend to finish getting their things. "What does the guy want? I hope he won't babble about those cute girls hitting on him during classes. I've gotten tired of those already. Oh. Takuma."

They were walking at the corridor when the other blonde haired noble approached them.

Takuma gave them a warm smile despite his tired look. "Hey guys. Where are you heading?"

"Library. 'Idol-sensei' is waiting. You look pretty worn out. Anything wrong?" Kain rolled his eyes at his own words.

"No, not at all. I just had to finish mine and Shiki's reports on the microbiology subject we had since he'd been away for a photo shoot for two days now. The report was due a while ago and I'm just hungry. Mind if I come along?"

"Sure, but let's get you something to eat first. Hanabusa and his screaming girls can wait." Ruka led the way to the cafeteria with Takuma and Akatsuki trailing her.

After about thirty minutes and two packs of Pocky sticks, Aidou's cousin, Ruka, and Takuma appeared. "What the hell took you so long? I'm almost off to meet Kaname-sama."

"Chill, Hanabusa. We went to accompany Takuma to the cafeteria. Where the hell did you get that many Pocky?"

Hanabusa ignored his cousin and waited for them to be seated before telling them his encounter with the cute Zero Kiriyu.

"Do you remember the rumored human who constantly retained one of the top spots at the Advanced Physics and Trigonometry exams? Well, guess what, I met him a while ago while replenishing my Pocky stash. And, well, something else happened which leads to me having to meet Kaname-sama later. But what happened was totally wor—"

"Wait, _what_? The hell, Hanabusa. I only left you for a few hours and you get into something stupid with the gang leader!"

"_Supreme_ gang leader! And don't int—"

"What were you expecting Akatsuki? You should be grateful that you weren't involved this time." Ruka said with a roll of her eyes, cutting the blonde. She looked at Takuma who held both his palms up in an 'I'm-out-of-this' gesture.

"Jerk!" Hanabusa bellowed. "I'll get you all in detention!"

"Hanabusa, we're not in high school anymore and even if you call us to the guidance councilor, what would you tell the old guy? That we refused to listen to your ogling? Yeah right." The bronze haired noble interjected, a bit annoyed at his cousin.

Aidou fumed but didn't comment. He knew his cousin was right and he was irritated at having not to use his 'teacher' position. He stood up with the box of biscuit sticks held firmly in his right hand.

"Fine! I'll just wait for Kaname-sama outside his office. _By myself_."

He stormed off leaving Akatsuki with second thoughts if he should follow his cousin lest he were to be punished, Ruka rolling her eyes and flipping her hair yet again, annoyed at their waste of time and Takuma who sighed at the childish antics of his friends.

* * *

"Zero!" The headmaster called for the third time and sighed. He was in the middle of a beautiful dream when he heard a gunshot. Guns were not allowed in the campus except for his and Zero's anti-vampire ones and it was clearly not him who fired so he rushed to the scene thankful that it was not that far.

"I'm going to bed. Don't follow me." Zero growled as he walked faster, not looking back at his 'care-taker'.

"It's not about what happened a while ago." With that said, Zero turned and Kaien had a smug smile in his face.

"_What then?_" He wanted to wipe the smug smile off the older hunter' face, literally but he caught himself, his hands balled into fists at his sides instead. He waited ever so impatiently at what the headmaster wanted.

"I just want to know…" The older man paused as he played with the dark emerald scarf he was wearing. "How you are feeling about _this_!" He finished in a rush as he bounded to Zero, closing the distance between them easily, and pulled the scarf away, leaving his neck bared before the silver-haired boy.

The younger hunter's amethyst eyes turned wide with shock and his heart thudded hard.

Kaien watched with worried eyes as Zero's lilac eyes turned crimson with blood lust. The boy clutched his throat with one hand and covered his nose with the other, attempting to muffle the overpowering smell with no success. He could hear the pumping of blood on Kaien's veins. _Too close. So thirsty._ He gripped his throat harder. _No. No._ He was panting hard and his throat burned for air and blood but he wasn't letting go, fearing he might loose himself to the sweet smell of Kaien and the pounding of blood in the older man's veins. He stumbled backward and fell to the floor in his attempt to get away. _Damn Kaien._

Zero could almost rip the other's throat for a completely different reason. Almost. But he couldn't really hate the man. He shouldn't. It wasn't Kaien's fault that Zero had that kind of reactions to his blood, even if Kaien bared his neck to him with no warnings.

"I see." The older man said as he crouched down beside Zero and replaced the scarf to his neck. The somber look in his face seemingly made him look older. He watched Zero gravely, waiting for the boy to calm down.

Zero felt Kaien crouch in front of him. He could hear the man's calm breathing and the steady beat of his heart pumping blood to the entirety of his body. Blood. Oh God, it hurts. And Kaien's closeness was not helping.

He opened his eyes, now red with blood lust and saw the pity in the older man's gaze. He glared at him. He didn't need his pity.

"What the hell Kaien? Do you have a friggin' death wish?" He yelled hoarsely, trying not to breathe too much. He looked away. He didn't want Kaien to see the pain in his eyes.

"I wish you'd stop fighting it, Zero. You know I always keep a check on your blood tablets. You never touched even half a tablet. It will ease the pain, you know."

"Don't go through my things and don't enter my room without permission! Don't give me that crap. I was fine before you _bared_ your damn neck! Get away from me before I rip your bloody heart out." He gritted his teeth, still avoiding Kaien's sympathetic gaze.

Kaien tried to touch the boy's knee in a comforting gesture, even for a while but Zero cut him off. "Zero, you don't ha—"

"I said I'm fine!" He glared at the man, stopping his reach.

The headmaster sighed. He withdrew his hand, stood up and smoothed his clothes. "Goodnight Zero." He said softly before retreating to his quarters.

He didn't want to leave the boy to cope with it alone, but it was what his 'son' wanted. He also knew that by leaving, he could at least help ease the blood lust consuming the young man caused by his close proximity. He had to believe in Zero, after all, the boy had been fighting the change for years now. He just have to find another way to support him and have faith in the boy's strength.

Zero felt wretched as he watched the older hunter go. He didn't want to push the man, who had been nothing but understanding and caring, but he knew the man's presence is testing his failing control over his _other_ wants and that it was for the best. He couldn't even stop himself to map out the veins in the man's body. He pressed his throat harder in his attempt to dull the pain caused by his blood lust. _Damn it all_, why now of all times?

He sat there for ten more minutes to make his breathing slow down and to make the throbbing in his throat more manageable before returning to his room.

It was a good thing that it was located near the entrance to the complex which means he wouldn't have to pass other student's rooms and endure another round of barely controlled blood lust.

Arriving to his room, he locked himself in with the deadbolts he placed there which would prevent anyone from coming in if he was this out of control. He knew normal ones wouldn't keep him in, so he used locks that are hunter charmed so he could keep himself in. He also activated the ones on his windows just to make sure.

He then moved to the lone study table and opened one of the locked drawers in it. He shoved in the tiny metal box containing blood tablets. He did not want to see and touch things that would remind him of his being.

After shoving the metal box in and locking the drawer, he sat on the chair and pulled Bloody Rose out of his coat. He disassembled it and proceeded to clean the gun. It still smelled of the blonde jerk that swatted it out of his grip a while ago. He gritted his teeth at the memory. He shouldn't let himself be disarmed that easily.

After making sure his gun didn't reek of the blonde vampire anymore, he went to take a calming warm bath before going to bed once more and trying to sleep the remaining four hours before his first class at seven.

* * *

Kaname was surprised at seeing the blonde noble waiting at the door of his office. "Eager for your punishment, hm Aidou?"

The blonde noble bowed to the pureblood before him and opened the door of the office to let the other enter.

Kaname dismissed his praetorian before entering the large, fully furnished room. He didn't want to embarrass the young noble further by having an audience to his petty explanation. And he also had a few things in mind that he'd rather not let Seiren hear.

He sat at the burgundy swiveling chair and looked at the blonde who bowed again to him and stood in front of his neatly arranged desk. "Well?"

"Kaname-sama, I am deeply regretful of my actions. I was reacting to the imminent threat to my life caused by the presence of the hunter." Aidou opted to apologize immediately and hoped that by it, the pureblood would forget to ask for the reason but, of course, they both knew Kaname wasn't about to let it go that easily.

"I saw that, Aidou. What I wanted you to explain is why you were with the headmaster's son." Kaname sighed.

Aidou took a deep breath. There was no escaping, was there? "I..um, saw him at the store outside campus and I heard about his, um, educational accomplishments and uh..." The blonde vampire ducked his head, trying to conceal his shameful blushing. _What? Tell him that you wanted to know the boy's name?_

Kaname was surprised to know that the boy's educational background had gotten to the public already. He wondered what other things are known about the hunter. "What do you know about Kiriyu, Aidou?"

The blonde looked up slowly, did he hear the pureblood right? "Only his educational background Kaname-sama. I have not met him previously, I swear."

"Nothing more?" He asked again but, of course, it was not necessary since the day that the blonde would lie to him was far from forever. Aidou was too trusting to him for his own sake.

"Positive, Kaname-sama." He wondered why the pureblood was interested but he knew it was not in his position to ask.

Kaname hummed thoughtfully and brought his hands together on each of the arms of the chair. Should he tell Aidou? The blonde would be very useful for his cause and he knew Hanabusa was fiercely loyal to him. "Aidou, I want you to do something for me, but I'm afraid it involves the hunter you previously had a fight with. I hope it won't bother you and that it would be kept confidential."

Hanabusa blinked in surprise. A secret assignment for Kaname-sama _involving_ Zero Kiriyu? He must be dreaming. "What?" He asked rather incredulously and ducked his head again for speaking without respect. "I mean—"

"You refuse, Aidou?"

"No! Not at all, Kaname-sama! I am truly grateful for the task! And I assure you that I can be trusted."

Kaname smiled fondly at the blonde. This is going to be good.


End file.
